Artistic Staff Bios
KAREN AZENBERG (Director/Choreographer) This marks Karen Azenberg’s seventh season as Artistic Director at PTC. Favorite projects include the world premieres of Alabama Story and “i”; the regional premieres of Sting’s The Last Ship, and Les Misérables; and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Newsies, Sweet Charity and The Rocky Horror Show. Originally from New York, her work there includes Lyrics and Lyricists (92nd St. Y), Blocks (a collaboration with Jonathan Larson), Prom Queens Unchained and choreography for Richard Greenberg’s The Dazzle (Roundabout Theatre Company). Among her other credits are National Tours of Carousel and Brigadoon, West Side Story (over 15 productions), and productions at Indiana Repertory, Geva Theatre Center, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Goodspeed and Utah Shakespeare Festival. Karen is a past president of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). Her favorite productions are her son Alexander and her daughter Emelia.
HELEN GREGORY (Musical Director/Conductor) is returning for her eleventh production for Pioneer Theatre Company (Rent, In the Heights, Something’s Afoot, 25th Annual…Spelling Bee, The Rocky Horror Show (2014 & 2015), Fiddler on the Roof, The Last Ship and In the Heights – Concert Production, Mamma Mia!). She is always glad to return to Pioneer and wishes to thank the many people that make these productions possible: sponsors, donors, designers, cast, crew, the talented musicians, staff and Karen Azenberg for letting me come play, once again, in Salt Lake City. Gregory has conducted, performed and arranged for regional productions, national tours, Off-Broadway, industrials, educational theatre and yes, dinner theatre. Gregory currently lives in Durango, CO with her partner, Keith.
PATRICK HOLT (Costume Designer) Holt’s work has been seen at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The John Houseman Theater, Kansas City Rep, Playmakers Rep, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, HBO, CBS, A & E Network, The American Dance Festival and World of Wonder Productions. World premiere designs include Romulus Linney’s Gint, and Tazewell Thompson’s Constant Star. He is a professor of costume design at the University of Arizona and resident designer at the Arizona Repertory Theater. Holt also appeared on season seven of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and in the recent film Cherry Pop.
AARON SPIVEY (Lighting Designer) NYC Off-Broadway design credits include: Shadowlands, Jukebox Jackie, Wanda’s World, From My Hometown, 4 Guys Named José, Golf the Musical and Elle. Regional credits include: Blind Date, Ah, Wilderness, 2666 and Brigadoon (The Goodman Theater), Tug of War (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), The Secret Garden (Children’s Theater of Charlotte & Idaho Shakespeare), Marry Me a Little (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Bomb-ity of Errors (Syracuse Stage) 4 Guys Named José (Actors’ Playhouse). International: A Chorus Line (Mexico City). On Broadway Aaron has served as the associate or assistant designer on 30 productions, including: Aladdin, Motown, The Coast of Utopia, Catch Me if You Can and Tarzan. www.aaronspiveylighting.com
ALLAN BRANSON (Resident Sound Designer) is thrilled to be a part of the Pioneer Theatre Company. He previously worked at The Arkansas Repertory Theatre as their resident sound designer for six seasons, where he designed such shows as Because of Winn-Dixie (world premiere), The Bridges of Madison County (regional premiere) and Memphis (regional premiere). Branson is a proud member of The Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association.
AMANDA FRENCH (Hair and Makeup Designer) has been a makeup and hair designer for over 28 years. She has worked for Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Utah Opera, Egyptian Theatre Company and the University of Texas at Austin. She is a contributing writer in the tenth edition of Stage Makeup by Corson, Glavan and Norcross and her work can also be seen in The Costume Technician’s Handbook by Ingham and Covey, and Wig Making and Styling: A Complete Guide for Theatre and Film by Ruskai and Lowery, first edition. She attended the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where she studied with Hair and Makeup Designer Lenna Kaleva. She is a member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and a current University of Utah adjunct assistant professor of wigs and makeup.